Hark, what is this? Less than a month? Is it the apocalypse? Was the Mayan calendar a year off? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?
This is me writing at school, that's what.
If you're into that sort of thing, a smut version of "A Foolish Offering" is now on AFF. Also, on DeviantArt you can read a scene that was deleted from chapter 92. Also-also, I have resumed work on Tao Yi Gaiden, despite the fact that it's been three years (ahaha…eh…). However, unlike here, I will be stockpiling chapters and releasing them when I'm nearing the conclusion. Ah, the bliss of writing something where the outcome is already set in stone…
Anyway, as I said before, 95 is already pretty much finished, aside from me restructuring the end. This chapter is rather short, but the next one is already 11 pages. So yay for that.
Also, in 95, Lien will drop the Idiot Ball she's currently carrying.
Disclaimer: I do not own the anime/mangaShaman King. The storyand its characters were created by Hiroyuki Takei. All original characters made specifically for this fanfiction and any tie-in/spinoff pieces were created by Jezebel Parks
A Gift of Love – Chapter Ninety-Four: "I Couldn't Have Done It Without You"
Lien stared up into her brother's eyes. Surely this was another nightmare. There was no way that her twin would ever want to harm her, much less kill her.
"'Kill' you? No, of course not," Hao said matter-of-factly.
She flinched, realizing the ability he had.
"I can't kill you. Your soul needs to be fresh. A soul from a dead body lacks the necessary vitality that the ritual demands." He sneered. "But once I begin the process of taking your soul from your body, you'll be wishing I had killed you."
She inched away, her eyes rapidly shifting between Hao and the bodies behind him. He allowed it, knowing that she was incapable of outrunning him. Her eyes still on him, she stood and stumbled over to them.
It was horrifying. Ren's skin was pale. The little warmth it still possessed was more haunting than anything else and had done absolutely nothing to ease her surprise. Her father was the strongest person she knew. The thought of him losing was unfathomable.
"P-Papa…" she said softly.
Her voice carried a tone similar to that of her younger years, when she would furtively awaken him to defend her from the bad dream she'd had. He would wake up, reassure her, then walk her back to her room. With a small sigh and a gentle pat on the head, like hypnotism, she would instantly fall back to sleep.
She never had to touch him to wake him up. He was always so alert that she used to wonder if he slept at all. But now, her hand shaking, she reached over and shook his shoulder.
"Papa…wake up…I need you…please wake up…"
Aika stood over her. "He's dead."
Lien whipped around to look at her, it never occurring to her to ask who she was. She swallowed and turned back to see Seta's body. Frantic, she shook him as well, calling his name.
"He's gone. They all are."
Lien stood, her face pale. She took a few steps, then leaned against a nearby tree, staring out into the forest. "When…When did this happen? How could they all be beat?"
"They died trying to save you. Your father stood and fought until his legs gave out. I'm sure some of his last thoughts were of you."
"Where is Niisama? Where did he go?"
Aika closed her eyes in pity. "He's right behind you."
Lien whirled around, hoping to see the brother she knew and loved with his hand out to take her away from this mess. But it was the same person who had given her the wound she was unable to nurse.
She shook her head. "No…I refuse…to believe…" Her head was spinning. Nothing was making sense.
"Your brother is gone, Lien. You're the only one left who can stop this," Aika said quietly.
The words sunk in. She had to stop this? How? If her father wasn't able to win against him…what chance did she have? She covered her mouth and turned, falling to her knees and letting go of the sickness that had built inside her.
The woman turned her head away for a few moments, but then stood over her once more.
"Get up."
Lien looked over her shoulder at her with forlorn eyes.
Aika yanked her up by her collar and slapped her across the face. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! Are you even aware of how much of this is because of you and your selfishness?"
The heiress's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean?"
She heaved a sigh. "I'm not sure on the specifics, since much of my knowledge only came from the fire, but I know that your naivety and lust brought things to this point. NO ONE would be out here if you hadn't trusted that stupid legend fed to you by Hao's servant!" She bowed her head. "If it wasn't for you, my son wouldn't have suffered as much as he did…" Her hand went to the medallion, the jewel flashing. "Even now, he still wants what's best for you, and the only thing I can do to make up for not being there for him is fulfill that wish." Her head snapped up. "Personally, I don't care about a spoiled silver-spoon girl like you. But he does…So you better succeed!"
Lien's eyes by this point were so filled with horror that her pupils were tiny dots on plains of white. "M-Me…? This is…" She slowly looked over at her father, then to the Usuis. "…my fault?"
Aika seethed. "If you honestly think Hao is going to wait for you to get your bearings so you can oppose him, you're delusional! Stop crying, and start fighting!"
But at the revelation of who her opponent was, Lien was all the more afraid. The words of her father and brother flooded back to her.
"Hao is…the worst type of shaman. Yoh always said that a bad person can't see spirits, but I disagree in this case. That man is pure evil."
"…Father admitted that there were times when he was afraid, though he never made it apparent to anyone else."
"If we hadn't killed him, none of us would be here right now."
"If he were to be resurrected now, I'm not sure if we'd be able to defeat him…even with Father."
"He has no respect for human lives – killing is nothing to him."
She shivered. "I-I-I want to wake up now…" she whispered. "Where's Mama? Can't she do something? Ma-!"
The woman angrily dropped her. "Silence yourself."
Lien cringed.
"You seem to have a lot of respect for your father. Is that true?"
She nodded hastily.
"What do you think he would say if he saw you here like a sniveling crybaby? Hm? Would he pat you on the head and praise what a coward you are? Or would he tell you what a disappointment you are?"
She froze, her eyes wide. Her father's opinion of her meant everything. Pin-Mei could find the bright side of any fault she had, but Ren wasn't so forgiving.
A year or two ago, she had tried out for a play her school was putting on. She had been given a supporting role that included a solo, a role that had been the envy of most of the girls of her class. The day the cast was announced, some of her classmates berated her, telling her that it hadn't been her, but another girl, whose name with very sloppy handwriting could be mistaken for hers, who was supposed to have the role. She shrugged it off, but the harassment continued. It became next to unbearable. Not even her brother could quell the tempest of jealousy created by the girls.
The day of the first rehearsal, she feigned a cold and went home, not wanting to deal with the wrath of her castmates. When she got in, Ren had glanced at the schedule she had slapped onto the wall previously and questioned why she hadn't gone.
"Oh…Well…Some of the girls say that my name got mixed up and that the role belonged to another girl. I'm…going to quit so she can have it."
He nodded slowly, then went to pass her.
"You're giving up just because you're meeting with resistance? Because some people are jealous, if not fearful of what you're capable of? …How disappointing."
His words had stabbed her. So much so that she bolted back to school, the rehearsal half over, and demanded that she be given the sheet music for her part. She endured the harassment, and the show went on.
Her efforts made that pat on her head after the finale all the more satisfying. But he never took back his words.
He's never said "I'm proud of you." He said that Niisama and I are his "pride and joy"…but that's not the same…I haven't done anything for him to be proud of. If Papa were here…he…
She stood, wiping her eyes. He wouldn't cry. He'd have a confident smirk on.
She looked around. Aika held out the Kwan Dao that had been next to Ren's body. She took it.
He'd get into position. She chose a form and took it.
He'd fight.
Hao sneered. "You honestly think that you have a chance? You'll defeat me where your father failed?"
He's right. What do I have that my father doesn't? Why the heck should I be able to win?
"The answer is right before your eyes, Lien."
"Right before my eyes?" She concentrated, mulling over Aika's words. As the realization dawned on her, her whole body tensed.
Aika nodded. "That's it. There's also something your father left for you. If you can somehow use it, he wants you to have it." The girl's eyes wandered, as if trying to figure out what it was. "Just remember one thing: No matter what Hao does to you, he's not going to kill you. The worst that could happen is that you get knocked out. At that point, I'll step in and try to revive you, but I can't make any promises."
Lien nodded.
"Now wipe it from your mind. If you're not careful, your thoughts will betray you."
Sweat was already pouring down her face. It was still too much. The last time she had tried to stand on her own and fight, she was overcome and almost defiled for her failure – and that had been against humans. How could she ever hope to take him on all by herself?
"You can't. It's impossible." He waited for a moment. "He's right…I can't even beat Niisama when we're sparring. I've never even tried fighting him with furyoku!" He laughed. See, even you realize how futile it is. Make all of this easier for the both of us and just—"
Without warning, Lien rushed at him. He showed mild surprise, but easily blocked her.
"Are you thinking that if you cloud your thoughts I won't be able to read your movements?" He smirked when she remained silent. "You know what the outcome will be, regardless of how hard you try. Your thoughts have said as much."
Her gaze didn't waver. She had a new train of thought. As Hao read them, his grin melted into a scowl. He lunged at her, knocking her away. She recovered, then continued her vicious stare.
"Stop it," he commanded.
Visions of the twins were flooding the girl's mind. They were full of light, the scenes bright and full of happiness. The twins laughed together, ate together, slept together, and consoled each other. It sickened him.
"Stop it!" he yelled, knocking her down again. The scenes steadily faded, still faintly visible in the background. He detached himself, unable to stand it any longer. His head was pounding.
Lien slowly got to her feet. Am I getting through? Can I reach Niisama? It's true that physically I don't stand a chance, but if I can defeat Hao from the inside, it's the same thing, right? If Niisama is still in there, it's possible that his feelings can break through and he can stop this!
"I don't even need to read your mind to know what you're trying to do," Hao snapped, finally stabilizing his breathing. "It's just more foolishness. Another wasted effort! Give it up. I wouldn't be inside this body if his soul was still here. I consumed it! He's gone! Just give it up and submit yourself!"
"I don't believe you."
He glared at her.
"I can still feel him…" She put her hand over her heart. "I'm his twin…I know…I can feel the warmth that I've always felt from him." She took another stance. "Until that warmth is obliterated, I'll keep fighting. Even then, I'll fight you for as long as I need to. I wouldn't be able to look Papa in the eye otherwise."
"You can feel him? Impossible. It's not as if you can-,"
"How would you know?"
He paused. She glared at him.
"How the hell could you possibly understand what it's like to be a twin? How could you ever hope to comprehend the closeness between two siblings like that? To know what the other is thinking without any sort of telepathy? To feel such a connection that you couldn't possibly live without them – that half of you would die if they did?"
"SHUT UP!"
She flinched. No matter how brave she was trying to be, it didn't change the fact that Hao still terrified her.
He lowered his head so she couldn't see his eyes. "Ignorant child…Carrying on as if you know what you're talking about. You don't know a single thing about me, and you have your father to blame for that. You are in absolutely no place to be making assumptions!"
Lien blinked, then tilted her head. "Are you trying to say…that you have a twin?"
Hao answered with a cold, murderous stare, reluctant to admit it. It had been an embarrassing mistake to have to deal with being split in two in his most recent incarnation.
She thoughtfully put her index finger to her chin. "Wow…I never expected that." She squinted at him, then folded her arms in thought. Finally, she hit her right palm with the bottom of her left fist. "Oh! I get it! Yeah! You're Yoh's twin! Papa said you were related to him, and now I see how!"
Hao looked less and less amused by each revelation and observation made by the girl.
"Oh…" she said in a small voice. "That's so sad…"
He could feel his rage building. "Are you attempting to pity me over something?"
She looked at him as if she were staring into the eyes of an abandoned puppy. "Yoh never even mentioned you, so I didn't realize you were twins until now…It's like he's abandoned you…Forgotten about you…How can you survive without your twin? To know that your twin doesn't even mourn you, bad guy or not, now that you're gone…It's almost like…your existence wasn't even necessary…like there should have only been one of you from the very beginning…"
At the last statement, he snapped. He had to shut her up. He didn't even bother to form a plan of how to do so without killing her. If she did happen to die, he would just force the Ryukyuan to revive her.
Lien looked at the ground. I almost feel sorry for him…Ren and I are so close...I couldn't imagine life without him, or him not caring if I was gone…I always felt like I was the unwanted twin…but at least my twin would mourn me if I was dead…
"Watch out!" called Aika.
She looked up just in time to see Hao lift Houraiken. He gave an upwards slash, the sheer force of it lifting her off the ground. Still in the air, he grabbed her throat and slammed her into the ground. She screamed, her cry trailing off until it became a string of heavy pants. It was the only thing she could do to deal with the pain.
Hao took a couple deep breaths, the grinned, satisfied that the girl was no longer to smart mouth him. She tried to get up, but he quickly stomped on her sternum, forcing her back down again.
"Are you finished with your smug attitude, Tao Lien? I may have had a twin, but unlike you, we didn't need each other, and we certainly didn't turn into quivering messes when we were separated. Your situation is that of a fairytale. Stop acting as if you know how all twins should act. You know nothing."
For a few moments, all that could be heard was Lien's crying and choked breathing. Hao just continued to stare down at the heiress, her eyes closed and eyelids twitching as she waited for the pain to go away.
Now would be a good time…
"Give him back…"
"Hm? What did you say?"
She slowly opened her eyes, though she could barely see him through her tears. "Give back my Niisama…Give him back…"
He sneered, amused by her fruitless pleas.
"What did he ever do to you? How could he have done anything to make you do something like this to him?" she whispered.
"You're acting as though I need a reason to carry on with this." When she stared up at him, he laughed. "What I'm saying is that this has little to do with you personally. Really, any children of the five warriors would have done nicely."
She was biting her lip. Part of her wanted to ask why – why Ren and not one of the other children? But she held her tongue. To ask such a thing would be like wishing this pain on Seta or Hana, something she couldn't possibly do.
"I put a lot of effort into preparing this body for my revival. It couldn't be done all at once. I had to wait until the whelp was close to the breaking point before I could send that spirit out."
"B-But how? Niisama and I went through the same things at school…we were both harassed by our classmates…Why did he break down when I didn't?"
Hao's eyes narrowed. "Oh, come now. You may be a sniveling crybaby now, but don't tell me you forget how proud you used to be. Don't you remember? You were almost as bad as those human children. Even after school ended for the day, he had to endure your taunts, your harassment, your violence, and there was no way for him to escape."
"But I don't…" She stopped. She felt sick again. The memories were coming back.
"What a stupid thing to say. You're so dumb…"
"Can't you just act like a normal kid? What kind of freak reads when we have free time instead of playing? We wouldn't be made fun of so much if you weren't so weird!"
"Mama only loves you more because you look like Papa, or else she probably wouldn't care about you."
"Papa probably hates you because you can't drink milk like him, you know. It's your own fault."
"See? Mama and Papa decided you're not good enough to be head of the family, so they're having another baby to replace you! Haha!"
Her chest hurt, and not because he was pressing his foot on it. She had totally forgotten about what she had put her brother through. She had been relentless in teasing him, practically mimicking their classmates and treating him as if, even among shamans, he wasn't "normal".
Deep down, she had known that being lactose intolerant wasn't his fault. In fact, Pin-Mei had reasoned that maybe something from her mother's side had brought it about. Nonetheless, it was a weak point in the little boy's heart. He had always felt inferior because of it, forever fearful that it had negatively affected how much his father loved him, when it couldn't have been farther from the truth.
The jealousy she had in presuming that her mother favored her brother over her, considering how she always tended to his wounds with such care – only noticeable when she came home with none – had caused her to say that he was loved by her for only shallow reasons. Furthermore, she had no way of knowing, due to their parents' neglect of the proper technology, whether the baby her mother had been carrying was a boy or a girl. It was her own insecurities that had led to such an insult.
Her entire body shook. She had only apologized when prompted to by her parents. They didn't even have any knowledge of the incidences she had just recounted, and there had been many, many more that she dared not remember.
Hao titled his head, as if he found her horror adorable. He leaned down.
"But really, I have to thank you, Lien. It would have taken so much longer with just your classmates alone. Really, I couldn't have done it without you."
She rolled away, screaming. Her continuous faults were piling up, showing her how all of this had come to be. She felt dizzy as she slowly stood, looking around for some sort of comfort. Hao smiled. She was finally breaking.
Lien whirled around. "I'm…I'm sorry…" She looked up, her eyes crazed and frantic. "I'm sorry, Ren. I-If you can hear me, I'M SORRY!"
Hao laughed. "As if any of that matters now. It's not as if all my plans are ruined simply because you've realized how foolish you've been. That little boy has been gone for how many years now? And you suddenly miss him? Were you too busy falling in love with the dark side that I helped create?"
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" she kept whispering.
"Well," he said, walking towards her. "It would seem that you've realized just how small you really are, Tao Lien."
Aika desperately ran at him, knowing that Lien was too frozen from the revelation to save herself. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, he took out Houraiken and stabbed her in the stomach – not breaking his pace, nor blinking an eye. With one rough push, she was down.
Lien looked at him as he approached, trying to inch away. She knew that she had to get away, if only to find her mother, but she was heading in the completely opposite direction. Even as her brother opened his arms in an effort to bait her, she tried to sidestep closer to her home.
"St-Stay away…"
He grinned at her. "Like you said yourself, Lien. You and this body are two parts of a whole." His arms reached for her.
"NO!"
In a burst of adrenaline, she shoved his chest as hard as she could. He stumbled away slightly, but as overall unfazed by the worthless attack. Lien herself suffered recoil from the push, sending her backwards.
She slipped.
Looking down, she saw a quick glimpse of what looked like Seta's headband, which had been discarded by Rong after saving her. She didn't even have time to look where she was heading, nor to catch herself.
Hao, however, saw exactly what she was heading for and gave a weak attempt to grab her. It wasn't good enough, but it didn't bother him very much. After all…
Her head slammed against the large stone. She slumped against it, blood trailing down with her.
…it's much easier to catch a mouse when it can't run.